Hackney young people say ‘YEP’ to youth website

Young people from across Hackney together with L&Q, partner housing organisations and Rising Tide, an education and development charity, launched a Youth Engagement Project (YEP) website on the 18th May.

L&Q, along with partner housing associations; Southern Housing Group, Sanctuary Housing, Circle 33 and the organisation responsible for all council properties, Hackney Homes, has been working with Rising Tide to help young people living in Hackney to create their own online communities.

The YEP site is a unique online community for young people living in Hackney. Youth committees from across Hackney have been involved in shaping the website to enable local young people to connect and share news and views with one another. The launch took place at Ocean Venue in Mare Street, Hackney, where representatives of the five youth committees participating in the project presented their web pages. Each housing association also has its own web page, which will enable young residents to get involved with community activities and initiatives more easily.

The event was an ideal opportunity for youngsters to familiarise themselves with the new website, network with other youth committees, and get to know their housing association partners.

Lisa Smith, 18, from Chatvic youth committee, said: "I'm really excited about YEP. It was great to meet people from the different committees here tonight, and I'm looking forward to working together with them in future. We've got lots of projects on the go, and I'm looking forward to having a say in what we do in the months ahead."

Deborah Cohen, Neighbourhood Investment Officer from L&Q said "We are so pleased to be working on this project. By working in partnership we are able to deliver a fantastic service for young people. Projects such as this really engage with young people and empowers and encourages them into active citizenship, supporting them to participate more in their communities and make decisions about where they live. We look forward to continuing this work and seeing the positive impact it has on local communities"

Visit the Rising Tide website